Sirleaf urges Liberians to respect vote result

Sirleaf urges Liberians to respect vote result

(AFP (eng) 10/10/17)

Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf on Monday urged peaceful elections ahead of the vote to replace her after 12 years in power, exhorting citizens to respect the outcome regardless of the winner.

Tuesday's elections will represent the first democratic transfer of power in the small west African nation since 1944, and with no clear frontrunner the stakes are high.

"Go to the polls peacefully," Sirleaf said in a short speech broadcast on state television, seated behind a desk. "We all must respect the outcome of the election as declared by the National Elections Commission."

Sirleaf has largely absented herself from the campaign trail, even though her Vice-President of 12 years standing, Joseph Boakai, is running to replace her as she completes the constitutional maximum of two terms.